Phillies reliever Scott Eyre blogs throughout the 2009 Postseason!

Cliff Lee: Just Phenomenal in Game 3

Amazing.

How does that describe Cliff Lee? That was a pretty special pitching performance, and a pretty good pickup. If Ruben Amaro were here right now, I’d pat him on the back. Cliff fits in with this group of guys so well. He’s just like the rest of us.

He just goes out, does his job and plays as hard as he can. He’s like everybody in here. It’s kind of funny. Usually you’ll get this guy or that guy who is different or separate from the team. He just fits in with the rest of us.

Clubhouse chemistry is huge. If you get three or four guys who are standoff-ish from everyone else, it creates a little animosity, you know? It creates a little separation. There is no separation here. If you need anything, everybody here is willing to help each other out, on and off the field. If you needed help moving, you could ask just about anybody on this team. Every team is like a family, but this is like a big one. It really is. That’s how I feel about it, anyway. I know for people like myself and Paul Bako, we were thinking this might be our last year. But he’s having so much fun and I’m having so much fun that you have to think about it. This was going to be it for me. But then you start to play with these guys for a full year and you realize how fun this group is to be around. It makes you want to continue to play. Obviously, it’s huge that we win. That’s obvious. But even if we lose a few games in a row during the season, which we did, you still can’t wait to get to the field the next day.

We bust on each other all the time. You can do it to anybody. It’s that type of group of guys. You can mess with anybody, and you have to be prepared to be messed with. We’re as loosey-goosey as you can get in a clubhouse and still obey the rules. Nobody breaks the rules. Nobody is above any rules in here.

So it’s great that Cliff not only pitches well, but that he fits in so well, too. And I’m sure Cliff wanted to finish the game tonight, but we do have more games to play. And the fewer the pitches the fresher you can be. You never know what could happen.

I left a tongue-in-cheek e-mail for the Phillies suggesting that the Phanatic take Larry Andersen out onto the Phils’ dugout and “beat L.A.” about the head and shoulders with a foam object, just to get the fans all excited! ;-)

I have always been a big believer in team chemistry so it is nice to actually hear a player say it too. There are tons of journalists out there who claim chemistry has nothing to do with success and it always makes me nuts when I hear that. Clearly, the thing that sets this team apart from the others is that you all really care about one another, you have fun together and respect each other. That is why you won the WS last year, and that is why you are going to do it again this year! :O) See you tonight for Game 4!

As a Phils fan since I was born in ’88, and having been to more than 50% of the spring trainings since, I constantly think about how lucky I and the rest of the fan base are to watch and back you guys throughout the season/postseason. Keep takin’ names.

I think every team that has had a good year will say basically the same things Scott said…… about how they “pull for/ support each other”; how the team chemistry in the club house is the best they’ve ever experienced; that “everyone goes about his business and does his job”; and “there are no egos on this team”. The thing that impresses me about the Phils is that they don’t just “talk the talk”, they “walk the walk.” We can see evidence of this every game, win or lose. Scott racing out at the end of the first game to give Lidge a hug was saying “I don’t need a Save for my personal stats” and “WE did it!” We can see the commeraderie, respect, and trust that each player has for one another. Now it’s time to put the last two nails in the Dodgers’ coffin! GO PHILS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.